DES MOINES, IOWA — Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds held her annual Harvest Festival event for the seventh consecutive year at the Iowa State Fairgrounds.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott was the special guest this year. He spoke after Gov. Reynolds touted her legislative record over the last several years. A big portion of Abbott’s speech centered around Operation Lone Star, which started in 2021. The operation deployed the Texas National Guard and Texas Department of Public Safety to the southern border.
Iowa has sent state National Guard troops to the border several times over the last couple of years, most recently in late March of 2024 .
“I invited Governor Abbott tonight so he can give us a real, raw account of the mess Kamala Harris has made at southern border,” said Reynolds (R).
“I cannot count the number of illegal immigrants who tried to get into the United States but were denied by the help of the Iowa National Guard,” said Abbott (R).
Multiple Iowa state legislators were in attendance along with a good portion of the federal republican delegation. Senator Joni Ersnt, Congressman Zach Nunn (IA-03), Congresswoman Ashley Hinson (IA-02) and Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01) all spoke at the event.